Discover which was the first comic that dared to have a variant cover, a strategy that over the years became something regular
Currently, comics readers do not conceive that special issues or important arcs do not have at least one variant cover.
Do not miss: Covers of DC Comics that eluded censorship
Whether it’s to commemorate a special issue (like the 1000th issues of Detective Comics and Action Comics) or to celebrate the publication of a momentous story (remember the covers of DCeased, Dark Nights: Metal, or Batman?), variant covers are something which has become a regular thing.
But to all this, what was the first comic to present a variant cover? This practice came to the publishing industry thanks to DC Comics, in a fact that dates back to the 1980s.
DC Comics had the first variant cover comic
Let’s go back in time, in 1986, after Crisis on Infinite Earths, the DC Universe did a clean slate to tell the story of various characters, such as Wonder Woman, Flash and Superman.
Speaking of the Man of Steel, British writer and cartoonist John Byrne took on the challenge of retelling the story of The Last Son of Krypton as a reboot, which resulted in his six-part series The Man of Steel.
For the first issue, which came out on July 10, 1986, John Byrne gave collectors a treat by coming up with two covers for issue #1, hoping that Superman fans would get the collectible cover. .
The regular cover features Clark Kent getting ready to transform as Superman, in an illustration showing the planet Krypton and the capsule in which Jor-El sent his son Kal-El to Earth in the background.
While the variant cover features the Superman logo coming out of the suit that Clark Kent wears. Both this cover and the regular cover were sold at the same number, something that changed over the years, to give more value to the variant covers.
You can also read: These covers marked the history of Batman in the 80’s
Source: DC Comics
Witness the reinvention of a classic with Superman: Man of Steel
In 1986, John Byrne was recruited by DC to reimagine Superman for a whole new audience. Alongside inker Dick Giordano, Byrne reimagined the looks of Superman, Lois Lane, Krypton and Lex Luthor.
The relationship between Superman and Lois; Superman and Batman, and Superman and Luthor was re-examined and modified for modern audiences. Old villains, like Bizarro, returned and some new ones, like Magpie, were introduced.
SMASH and DC Comics bring you DC Definitive Edition – Superman: The Man of Steel, a volume that every good fan of the Last Son of Krypton should not miss
Also being read:
Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and Flash have a new enemy…
Henry Cavill wants to be the next James Bond
Gallery | nostalgia for superman
10 foods with iron that you should include in your diet
Henry Cavill’s training as Superman